Back in August, Sony Pictures made the surprise announcement that a Jumanji remake is planned for release next year. On Friday, Sony added a writer and a creative consultant to the Jumanji reboot, which is still without a director.

Scott Rosenberg has been signed to pen the remake of Jumanji. Rosenberg is best known for writing the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds, Con Air, Kangaroo Jack, Pain & Gain, and for co-writing High Fidelity. Additionally, Sony hired Jeff Pinkner to serve as a story consultant on Jumanji. Pinkner has a rich history in genre TV, with stints on Alias, Lost, and Fringe. He was also the co-writer of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Rosenberg and Pinkner co-created the CBS adaptation of Zoo, and they share a production company called Midnight Radio.

Director Joe Johnston’s 1995 adaptation of Jumanji was based on the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film’s screenwriters Greg Taylor, Jonathan Hensleigh, and Jim Strain greatly diverged from Van Allsburg’s story by adding Robin Williams’ character, Alan Parrish, and Alan’s childhood friend, Sarah Whittle (Bonnie Hunt), to the narrative. In the film’s storyline, Alan was trapped for over two decades within the jungle board game Jumanji when Sarah didn’t complete the game that she had started.

Strangely enough, Jumanji is the second remake of a Kirsten Dunst film to make the news this week. Dunst starred in Disney’s original Tower of Terror TV movie and she played Judy, one of the lead characters, in Jumanji.

Sony is going to have to pick a director soon if it still plans to release the Jumanji remake on December 25, 2016. There is also the question of who could possibly replace Williams in the reboot. But if the filmmakers opt for a more faithful adaptation of the original book, then that will not be an issue.

Should the Jumanji reboot keep Robin Williams’ character Alan Parrish in the story? Role a five or an eight and share your thoughts below!

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HT: The Hollywood Reporter
Image Credit: Sony Pictures